The Lost Years
by harry-ron-hermione-fan-101
Summary: Rapunzel makes a wish that is mysteriously granted- she's a child again, ready for her true parents to raise her!


**A/N: I have finally decided to get off me lazy backside and write a Tangled fanfic. Yes, Tangled. I'm WAY over the age of 13, and I love Tangled, and other Disney movies. Laugh if you will, just know that I have a pet chameleon that eats anyone that bothers me about it. Ok, maybe it's actually a salamander instead of a chameleon, but you should see how fast he gulps up crickets! He's a mean, green (and black), cute little machine!**

**In my opinion, Eugene had been pardoned for his crimes cuz he brought back the Lost Princess and partially because I could see 'Punzie screaming and crying when they tried to take him back to prison for his hanging. **

**Any who, just a quick recap about who the hair (see, innit cute? "Hair" instead of heck, or shell, or another similar word which I shall not say, seeing how I speak not swears) the "Wish Mistress" is. WM is a witch like lady who grants wishes (duh). Her appearance changes a lot, and she'll pop up in random stories of mine. So, let's begin, shall we?**

"The Lost Years"

Rapunzel leaned over the edge of the balcony, looking down into the garden below. The night was still, save for the occasional, gentle summer breeze. Rapunzel closed her eyes and sighed as the night around her lit up with the lights from the fireflies dancing in the garden below. A light breeze ruffled her short brown hair, and she giggled girlishly as it tickled her ears and nose.

This was her fourth week at the castle, away from the tower. At first, it had taken some getting used to, and the brunette still wasn't completely settled in, but her parents had been absolutely sweet to her, allowing Eugene and Pascal to stay, helping ease her into her new life.

Having lived in a tower for the majority of her life, Rapunzel spent a lot of time out on her balcony. It helped quench the unwanted home-sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Rapunzel didn't want to admit that she was homesick for her tower, but in the bottom of her heart, she knew that was why she liked it on her balcony. The feeling of looking down on the world with no easy way to the ground helped her feel a little more at home.

This particular night, though, Rapunzel wasn't out here just to enjoy the feeling of being home. She was out here, because she felt bad. As she was going down to dinner, she had overheard her parents over talking.

"_I am glad that she's been returned to us, George, but I… I just wish we could have had a chance to raise her. She's come back to us completely grown up. I love her, but I wish I could of helped her grow into the woman she is today."_

_The king gathered the queen into his arms. "I suppose, in that sense, the Lost Princess never was returned. But we have Rapunzel, and for that, we should be grateful."_

Rapunzel had turned and fled to her rooms, blinking back tears. She knew it wasn't her fault that Gothel had stolen her away from her parents, but she couldn't help but feel like a disappointment. The breeze ruffled her hair again, and Rapunzel sighed, closing her eyes and turning her face into the gentle breeze.

The conversation she had overheard played through her mind again. "Oh Pascal," the girl muttered to the chameleon that sat on the railing of the balcony. "I kind of wish that I was still a child, you know? So they could have gotten me sooner, and they wouldn't have been so sad right now."

"So you have wished it…" a silky voice whispered, and green eyes snapped open, the girl whirling around to see who had spoken. The speaker stood silently behind Rapunzel, her black hair braided in a wreath around her head, wearing a white robe.

"Who are you?" Rapunzel demanded, taking a step back into the railings. "Why are you here?"

The woman didn't move. "…So it shall be." Without any sign it was going to happen, the woman vanished. The only sign that anyone unwelcome had been there was Pascal shaking on the balcony railing.

Rapunzel blinked, turning to her small friend. "Who do you think that was Pas- AAH!" Rapunzel dropped to her knees, gripping her head. Pascal squeaked, jumping onto her shoulder as Rapunzel cried out again. Then, her eyes rolled back until only the whites showed, and she dropped to the ground in a dead faint.

Eugene was starting to get worried, and Rapunzel was only 15 minuets late to dinner. But it was the fact that Eugene hadn't even seen her before dinner. Normally, she would have popped down to Eugene's quarters to spend some quality time with him. This was really starting to freak him out.

Another 10 minuets, he decided. Then I'll go check on her. Maybe she's hurt or Gothel's ghost came back to kidnap her. That's it! He screamed in his head, and his face paled.

Eugene stood up abruptly. The King and queen glanced up at him, and he froze. The royal couple could always make him feel like a small child with his hand in the cookie jar without even trying. Even when he wasn't doing anything wrong, like right now.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "I'm just… going to go see where Blondie-ummmm, Rapunzel is… Yeah, I'm just….gonna…go…." With the last half of the sentence, Eugene inched out of the room. By the time he was finished speaking, he was at the door of the dining room, and turned and walked away quickly.

It didn't take long for him to break into a run to get to the princess's rooms. When the former-Flynn Rider reached her rooms, he slowed down, and tapped on the door rapidly with his fist.

"Rapunzel?" he called, head pressed to the door so he could hear anyone on the other side. "Hey Blondie, you okay in there?" His words were met with silence.

A sudden scrambling at the bottom of the door caught the ex-thief's attention. Pascal had crawled out from under the door, and was balancing on Eugene's boot, pointing frantically at the door.

It was one of those really, _really _rare moments when Eugene and Pascal were on the same page. Eugene shouldered the door open and charged into the room, calling, "Rapunzel?"

A quiet sniffle told Eugene to look under the bed. Cautiously, he approached, then dropped to his knees. "It's okay, Rapunzel. It's me, it's Eugene."

Slight shuffling under the bed, and then… a little girl, with wide, wide green eyes and blonde hair that dragged on the floor behind her emerged.

"Where am I? Where's Mommy? Where's my tower?" she sniffled, curling into a ball. "I wanna go home."

Eugene blinked. "This isn't good," he decided. "This isn't good at all."


End file.
